PRESENTATION  OF  PORTRAIT 


OF 


TO  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 
IN  THE 

SENATE  CHAMBER  AT  RALEIGH 
NOVEMBER  15,  1910 


BY  THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA  SOCIETY  OF  THE 
SONS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


ADDRESS  BY 

JAMES  O.  CARR 

A  MEMBER  OF  THE  SOCIETY 


OFFICERS 

OF  THE 

General  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution 

APRIL,  1908— APRIL.  19n. 
GENERAL  PEES  I  DENT, 

Hon.  JOHN  LEE  CARROLL. 

Ellieott  City.  Md. 

GENERAL  VICE-PRESIDENT. 

EDMUND  WETMORE. 

34  Pine  Street.  New  York  City. 

SECOND  GENERAL   VICE-PRESIDENT. 

WILSON  GODFREY  HARVEY, 

Charleston.  S.  C. 

GENERAL   SECRETARY. 

JAMES  MORTIMER  MONTGOMERY. 

102  Front  Street.  New  York  City. 

ASSISTANT  GENERAL   SECRETARY, 

WILLIAM  LIBBEY.  Sc.  D.. 
Princeton,  N.  J. 

GENERAL   TREASURER. 

RICHARD  McCALL  CADWALADER. 
133  S.  12tli  Street,  Philadelphia.  Pa. 

ASSISTANT  GENERAL   TREASURER. 

HENRY  CADLE. 
Bethany,  Mo. 

GENERAL  CHAPLAIN. 

The  Rev.  EDWARD  EVERETT  HALE.  S.  T.  D..  LL.  D..* 

39  Highland  Street.  Roxbury.  Mass. 

general  REGISTRAR, 

WALTER  GILMAN  PAGE. 
Fenway  Studios.  Boston,  Mass. 

general  HISTORIAN. 

WILLIAM  GORDON  McCABE.  LL.  D.. 
Richmond.  Va. 


*  Died  in  1900. 


OFFICERS 


North  Carolina  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution 

NOVEMBER  15,  1910-NOVEMBER  15,  1911. 

PEESIDENT, 

Hon.  THOMAS  S.  KENAN, 
Raleigh. 

VICE-PKESIDENT, 

Hon.  J.  BRYAN  GRIMES, 

Raleigh. 

SECRETARY, 

MARSHALL  DeLANCEY  HAYWOOD, 

Raleigh. 

REGISTRAR, 

DANIEL  HARVEY  HILL,  LL.  D., 

West  Raleigh. 

TREASURER, 

WILLIAM  WATKINS  ROBARDS, 
Raleigh. 

CHAPLAIN, 

The  Rev.  ROBERT  BRENT  DRANE,  D.  D., 

Edenton. 

BOARD  OF  MANAGERS: 

The  Officers,  ex  officio, 

AND 

Alexander  Boyd  Andrews,  Jr.,  Chairman. 

Carle  Augustus  Woodruff,  U.S.A.,  Junius  Davis, 

William  Enos  Stone,  Charles  Earl  Johnson, 

Collier  Cobb,  Alfred  Moore  Scales, 

Julian  Shakespeare  Carr,  Thomas  Maslik. 


PROGRAMME 

November  15,  1910. 


Music  :    'The  Old  North  State"  and  'Hail  Columbia." 

Meeting  Called  to  Order:  By  Hon.  J.  Bryan  Grimes, 
Vice-President  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 

Prayer:  By  Rt.-Rev.  Joseph  Blount  Cheshire,  D.  D.,  a 
member  of  the  Society. 

Music  :    "The  Star  Spangled  Banner." 

iNTRODucTioisr  OF  Orator  :    By  Vice-President  Grimes. 

Address  :  ''The  Career  of  Governor  William  Richardson 
Davie,"  by  James  O.  Carr,  Esq.,  a  member  of  the  Society. 

Acceptance  of  the  Portrait  of  Davie  :  By  Attorney- 
General  Thomas  W.  Bickett,  representing  the  State  of 
ISTorth  Carolina. 

Benediction  :    By  Bishop  Cheshire. 

Music:    "Dixie"  and  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  BY  VICE-PRESI- 
DENT GRIMES. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

We  celebrate  this  afternoon  the  seventeenth  anniversary  of 
the  organization  of  the  liTorth  Carolina  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  Revolntion.  Want  of  interest  in  her  history  has  long  been 
a  reproach  to  our  State  and  has  caused  us  to  be  neglected  in 
the  history  of  our  country  and  almost  disdained  by  our  more 
pretentious  neighbors.  Our  people  have  in  too  many  cases 
been  ignorant  of  their  own  State's  greatness  and  unable  to 
assert  or  maintain  her  proper  position  among  our  sister  States. 
In  the  past  decade  there  has  been  a  most  gratifying  patriotic 
awakening  among  our  people.  Our  own  writers  and  the  his- 
torians of  the  country  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  heroic 
part  played  by  our  State  in  the  building  of  the  nation  and  in 
the  life  of  the  republic. 

Among  the  great  agencies  that  have  brought  about  this 
change  are  the  various  patriotic  societies  formed  in  this  State 
to  preserve  the  fame  and  perpetuate  the  memory  of  our  great 
men  and  to  celebrate  the  remarkable  events  in  the  history  of 
N^orth  Carolina.  Of  these  may  be  mentioned  the  North  Caro- 
lina Society  of  Colonial  Dames,  the  !N^orth  Carolina  Society 
of  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  ISTorth  Carolina 
Society  of  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  the  United  Daughters 
of  the  Confederacy,  the  Society  of  the  Cincimiati,  the  JSTortli 
Carolina  Historical  Commission,  the  various  historical  socie- 
ties, and  last,  but  not  least,  the  l^orth  Carolina  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution. 

This  organization  was  instituted  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  the  men  and  times  of  the  Revolution,  and  to  keep  alive  "the 
Spirit  of  '76."  At  the  organization  of  the  North  Carolina 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  in  1893,  Governor  Elias 
Carr  was  chosen  its  iirst  president.     Our  next  president  was 


the  late  lamented  Dr.  Peter  E.  Hines,  and  our  third  and 
present  president  is  that  gallant  soldier  and  loyal  Carolinian, 
Colonel  Thomas  S.  Kenan,  who,  from  his  couch  of  sickness, 
sends  you  love  and  patriotic  greetings.  Among  the  officers 
selected  in  1893  were  Mr.  Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood  as 
Secretary,  T)r.  D.  H.  Hill  as  Eegistrar,  and  the  Rev.  Robert 
Brent  Drane  as  Chaplain.  These  three  gentlemen  have  held 
those  positions  continuously  since  that  time,  and  we  still  de- 
light to  honor  them. 

The  Society  is  devoting  itself  largely  to  the  Revolutionary 
part  of  our  history.  Among  its  patriotic  activities  may  be 
mentioned  the  presentation  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Xorth 
Carolina  oil  portraits  of  Alfred  Moore  and  James  Iredell, 
Revolutionary  patriots  and  later  Associate  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  It  has  also  presented 
to  the  State  of  North  Carolina  oil  portraits  of  Governors 
Samuel  Johnston,  Alexander  Martin  and  Abner  Nash.  The 
State  now  owns  oil  portraits  of  all  the  Revolutionary  patriots 
who  occupied  the  gubernatorial  chair  whose  likenesses  are 
known  to  exist,  except  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight,  Sr.,  Benja- 
min Smith  and  William  Richardson  Davie.  We  hope  soon  to 
be  able  to  present  not  only  portraits  of  Governors  Spaight  and 
Smith,  but  as  our  membership  grows  we  expect  to  commemo- 
rate with  handsome  tablets  or  busts  some  other  notable  men  or 
events  in  the  Revolutionary  history  of  North  Carolina. 

This  afternoon  the  Society  presents  to  the  State  a  portrait 
of  William  Richardson  Davie — soldier,  statesman  and  pa- 
triot. 

This  picture  was  painted  by  a  prominent  artist  of  North 
Carolina,  Mr.  Jacques  Busbee,  who  has  recently  done  some 
notable  work  in  illustrating  State  history. 

We  are  peculiarly  fortunate  in  having  with  us  a  member  of 
the  Society,  an  able  lawyer  and  well-known  historical  writer, 
who  will  address  you  upon  "The  Career  of  Governor  William 
Richardson  Davie."    I  introduce  to  you  Mr.  James  O.  Carr. 


ADDRESS  BY  MR.  CARR. 

Mr.  Vice-President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

On  behalf  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  I  present  this  por- 
trait of  Governor  William  Richardson  Davie  to  the  State  of 
North  Carolina. 

The  biographer  who  undertakes  to  single  out  any  one  man 
as  the  greatest  his  State  has  produced  assumes  a  large  respon- 
sibility for  historical  accuracy,  and  at  best  only  expresses  his 
own  opinion  of  greatness ;  but  he  who  is  able  to  gather  to- 
gether and  record  the  facts,  long  neglected,  upon  which  rests 
the  enduring  fame  of  those  brilliant  spirits  who  created  our 
history  and  established  our  system  of  government  may  render 
lasting  service  to  his  fellow-man. 

When  we  reflect  upon  the  life  of  Davie  and  read  the  broken 
narrative  of  his  military  and  civic  services,  we  picture  in  our 
mind  a  statesman  of  profound  learning,  ripe  experience  and 
mature  age — that  age  which,  attained  in  the  public  service,  of 
itself  commands  respect  and  veneration.  It  is  with  much 
difficulty  that  we  can  bring  our  minds  to  the  realization  that 
such  a  wonderful  career  could  have  been  comprised  within 
the  lifetime  of  a  comparatively  young  man.  Yet  such  is  the 
case. 

"Davie  was  born  at  Egremont,  near  White  Haven,  in  Eng- 
land, on  the  20th  day  of  June,  1756" — a  fact  that  every 
school  boy  should  know,  as  we  were  then  approaching  that 
period  in  American  history  which  produced  leaders,  in  war 
and  in  politics,  whose  careers  aroused  the  wonder  and  admira- 
tion of  all  the  world.  He  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  five, 
and  made  his  home  with  his  maternal  uncle,  Reverend  Wil- 
liam Richardson,  at  the  Waxhaws  in  South  Carolina,  just 
across  the  boundary  line  of  Mecklenburg  County.  Hence,  he 
was  but  a  school  boy  of  nineteen  when  the  patriots  of  Meck- 
lenburg declared  their  independence;  yet  before  the  war  was 


8 

over,  at  the  age  of  scarcely  twenty-five,  he  had  won  a  military 
reputation  equal  to  that  of  any  of  the  great  commanders  of 
the  Southern  army.  He  was  but  thirty-one  when,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  constitutional  convention  at  Philadelphia,  he  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  nation  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a 
statesman,  and  had  merited  that  reputation  which  afterwards 
caused  three  presidents  to  turn  to  him  for  the  performance  of 
most  important  public  duties.  At  the  age  of  thirty-two  he 
became  one  of  the  chief  political  leaders  of  the  forces  in  North 
Carolina  which  favored  the  adoption  of  the  national  constitu- 
tion, and  though  public  sentiment  weighed  heavily  against 
him  his  strong  argument  was  finally  instrumental  in  convin- 
cing the  State  of  the  wisdom  of  his  cause.  It  was  at  the  age 
of  thirty-three  that  he  delivered  in  the  legislative  halls  of  our 
State  that  poAverful  speech  on  the  necessity  of  })ublic  educa- 
tion which  so  impressed  the  great  Judge  Mui*phey  and  con- 
vinced an  unwilling  General  Assembly  of  the  necessity  of 
establishing  a  State  University.  In  1798,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
two,'  President  Adams  appointed  him  a  Brigadier-General  in 
the  United  States  Army,  and  during  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  ]!^orth  Carolina.  The  next  year  witnessed 
his  appointment  by  the  President  as  one  of  the  envoys  of  the 
United  States  to  Paris,  whose  mission  was  to  formulate  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  France,  a  position  fraught  with  more 
responsibility  at  that  time,  perhaps,  than  any  other  duty  in 
connection  with  the  Federal  government.  Thus  it  was  that 
the  subject  of  our  consideration  and  the  object  of  our  devo- 
tion on  this  occasion,  when  we  seek  to  commemorate  through 
this  Society  the  deeds  of  one  of  our  greatest  patriots,  had 
rendered  his  services  to  his  country  before  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  forty-five — an  age  when  many  of  our  most  noted  public 
men  were  scarcely  known ;  and  I  beg  that,  in  considering  the 
services  which  Davie  rendered  to  the  State  and  nation,  you 
will  not  overlook  the  fact  that  such  services  were  rendered  be- 
fore he  had  reached  the  prime  of  life. 


YOUTH   AND  EDUCATION. 

The  educational  advantages  of  Davie  were  as  good  as  could 
be  had  in  his  time.  He  was  reared  under  the  firm  discipline 
and  benign  influence  of  his  uncle,  who  was  a  man  of  learning 
and  culture,  and  whose  views  of  life  were  such  as  to  inspire 
character  and  ambition.  He  imbibed  much  of  educational 
value  around  the  fireside — that  school  in  which  true  men 
must  first  be  trained — and  then  received  every  advantage  that 
could  be  had  at  ''Queen's  Museum,"  a  well-known  academy  in 
Charlotte.  After  leaving  Charlotte  ho  entered  jSTassau  Hall, 
Princeton,  where  he  became  the  companion  of  men  who,  like 
himself,  were  soon  to  be  leaders  in  the  politics  of  the  nation. 
He  was  but  a  boy  when  the  struggle  for  independence  began, 
but  was  under  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution; 
and  while  at  Princeton  in  1776  he  was  in  the  center  of  politi- 
cal activity  and  could  hear  the  clatter  of  arms  as  the  organi- 
zation of  the  American  army  proceeded  in  preparation  for 
the  resistance  of  British  invasion.  Once  in  1776  he  left  his 
studies  and  joined  the  army  as  a  volunteer,  but  returned  to 
complete  his  course,  graduating  with  distinction  in  the  autumn 
of  that  year.  He  afterwards  studied  law  and  was  duly  licensed 
to  practice  in  the  courts  of  the  State,  but  temporarily  aban- 
doned his  office  for  the  performance  of  military  duties. 

MILITARY    CAREER. 

Davie's  military  career  began  when,  as  a  student  at  Prince- 
ton, he  left  his  studies  in  the  summer  of  1776  and  joined  the 
Northern  army  as  a  volunteer.  He  was  then  only  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  his  service  was  short;  but  after  his  gradu- 
ation in  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  returned  South  where  he 
had  opportunity  to  display  his  military  talents  not  only  to  the 
credit  of  himself  but  to  the  advantage  of  his  people.  Davie 
never  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  the  sole  hero  in  any  great 
battle,  and  doubtless  no  other  man  ever  gained  so  great  a 
reputation  as  a  soldier  without  having  such  an  opportunity 


10 

presented  to  him  at  some  time,  and  still  no  American  officer 
ever  merited  such  reputation  more  than  he.  His  military 
fame  rests  upon  the  quality  of  his  work  rather  than  upon 
immediate  results. 

Davie  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant  in  Captain  Bamett's 
company  by  Governor  Caswell  on  April  5,  1779.  His  com- 
pany was  at  once  attached  to  Pulaski's  Legion  in  the  Southera 
army,  and  on  account  of  his  bravery  he  soon  became  major. 
He  displayed  remarkable  courage  at  the  battle  of  Stono, 
near  Charleston,  on  June  20,  1779,  where  he  was  shot  from 
his  horse  and  severely  wounded,  barely  escaping  capture. 
He  was  taken  to  a  hospital  in  Charleston,  where  he  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  for  a  considerable  time,  awaiting  recovery. 
In  the  fall  of  1779  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina 
authorized  him  to  raise  a  company  of  cavalry  and  two  com- 
panies of  mounted  militia,  but  provided  no  funds  for  their 
support.  Davie  here  showed  his  patriotism  in  using  a  large 
part  of  the  fortune  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  uncle  in 
equipping  and  maintaining  his  troops.  He  was  then  twenty- 
three  years  old,  but  his  military  ability  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  entire  State.  With  these  troops  he  rendered 
most  valuable  services  during  the  remainder  of  the  war. 
When  General  Gates  was  so  disastrously  defeated  at  Camden, 
on  August  16,  1779,  Davie  was  hurrying  to  his  assistance,  but 
met  him,  terror-stricken,  fleeing  from  the  conflict,  and  his 
army  disorganized  and  scattered.  Davie,  instead  of  joining 
in  the  retreat,  hurried  toward  the  scene  of  battle,  and  col- 
lected and  saved  the  remnant  of  the  Southern  army.  Also  at 
Eamsauer's  Mill,  Rocky  Mount  in  South  Carolina,  Hanging 
Rock,  and  Charlotte,  his  skillful  military  manoeuvres,  as  com- 
mander of  the  forces  which  he  had  organized  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, justified  the  langaiage  of  Professor  Hubbard,  who  said : 
"With  this  force  he  protected  the  Southwestern  part  of  the 
State  from  the  predatory  incursions  of  the  British  troops  in 
South  Carolina,  and  secured  the  well-affected  from  the  dread 
of  the  loyalists,  who  were  in  great  numbers  in  that  region. 


11 


In  this  service  he  was  always  on  the  enemy's  lines,  and  the 
duties  to  which  he  was  called  were  no  less  hazardous  than 
important ;  and,  in  the  practice  which  they  gave  him,  he 
rapidly  developed  those  qualities  and  acquired  those  habits 
which  soon  made  his  name  second  to  that  of  none  of  the  famed 
partisan  officers  of  the  South." 

Davie  was  ambitious  to  be  a  great  military  leader,  but  his 
ambition  was  always  second  to  his  patriotism.  After  General 
J^Tathanael  Greene  had  assumed  command  of  the  Southern 
army,  .^e  first  met  Davie  in  December,  1780,  when  he  was 
greatly  impressed  by  him  and  urged  him  to  assume  the  duties 
of  Commissary-General  for  his  army.  Davie  yielded  to  the 
wishes  of  General  Greene  and  undertook  the  most  difficult 
task  connected  with  the  Southern  campaign.  Without  a  dol- 
lar at  his  command  he  pledged  his  own  credit,  collected  the 
war  tax  "in  kind"  and  gathered  together  from  all  sections  of 
the  State  sufficient  provisions  to  sustain  the  army  through  all 
of  its  memorable  campaign  in  1781.  And  even  at  the  battle 
of  Guilford  Court  House,  while  present  at  the  head  of  the 
commissary  department,  he  rendered  valuable  services  in 
rallying  the  scattered  troops  as  the  American  lines  were  broken 
in  the  conflict. 

Andrew  Jackson  received  his  military  inspiration  from 
General  Davie.  His  brother,  'Hugh,  was  in  Davie's  command 
and  fought  under  him  at  Stono.  Andrew  and  Robert  were 
present  at  the  attack  of  Hanging  Rock,  near  Waxhaw,  and 
rode  on  the  expedition  with  Davie.  Andrew  was  a  boy  of 
thirteen  at  this  time  and  learned  from  Davie  his  first  lessons 
in  the  art  of  war.  The  three  boys — Hugh,  Robert  and  An- 
drew— ^looked  to  Davie  as  their  model,  and  it  has  been  truly 
said  that  "so  far  as  any  man  was  Jackson's  model  soldier, 
William  Richardson  Davie,  of  North  Carolina,  was  the  indi- 
vidual." And  no  doubt  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  was  fought 
just  as  Davie  would  have  fought  it  had  he  been  in  command. 

In  1799,  Davie  wrote  a  book  entitled  "Instructions  to  be 
Observed  for  the  Formations  and  Movements  of  the  Cavalry." 


12 

This  was  a  work  of  such  merit  that  the  General  Assembly 
ordered  it  printed  and  distributed  at  the  expense  of  the  State 
in  contemplation  of  the  impending  war  between  the  United 
States  and  France. 

DAVIE  AS   A   LAWYEB. 

In  1782,  after  the  war  was  over  and  peace  was  restored, 
Davie  returned  to  his  chosen  profession,  where  he  was  soon 
to  achieve  great  fame.  He  practiced  in  all  of  the  courts  of 
the  State,  except  Morganton  Circuit;  and  the  sessions  of  the 
courts  at  Halifax,  Wilmington,  Fajetteville,  Edenton,  Hills- 
boro,  and  other  places,  witnessed  his  most  brilliant  efforts. 
For  years  tliere  Avas  hardly  an  important  case  in  which  he 
was  not  employed.  Among  his  competitors  at  the  Bar  were 
Alfred  Moore  and  James  Iredell,  who  afterwards  became  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  and  each  was  among  the  foremost  lawyers  of  this  coun- 
try ;  but  even  they  often  had  to  yield  to  the  success  of  Davie 
before  the  juries  and  courts  of  his  circuit. 

The  field  of  the  law;}'er  at  that  time  was  vastly  different 
from  that  of  to-day.  "Case  lawyers,"  "code  lawyers,"  and 
"constitutional  lawyers"  were  not  known,  because  we  had 
neither  cases  nor  codes,  and  our  constitutions  were  then  in 
their  swaddling  clothes.  Our  legal  system  was  in  its  infancy, 
and  the  law^'er  who  could  bring  the  most  powerful  reasoning 
to  bear  upon  points  at  issue,  using  the  English  law  as  analo- 
gous, was  the  most  successful  lawyer. 

In  reasoning  and  illustrative  powers,  Davie  had  no  supe- 
rior. His  education  was  thorough,  so  far  as  thoroughness 
could  be  attained  in  this  coimtry.  He  was  painstaking  and 
])repared  his  cases  well.  He  was  ambitious  and  brooked  no 
defeat.  In  appearance  he  was  tall  and  graceful  and  had  the 
air  of  an  aristocrat.  He  had  an  analytical  and  logical  mind, 
his  style  of  speech  was  clear,  and  he  often  reached  flights  of 
eloquence.     Thus  equipped  he  feared  no  competitor. 

He  was  the  first  lawyer  in  the  country  to  take  the  broad 
position  that  the  court  had  the  power  to  declare  an  act  of  the 


13 

General  Assembly  unconstitutional.  He  understood  the  doc- 
trine that  the  different  departments  of  our  government  should 
be  separate  and  distinct,  but  he  held  the  Constitution  to  be 
subject  to  construction  by  the  courts  just  as  any  other  statute 
law,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  from  the  courts  of 
North  Carolina  the  first  decision  in  this  country  declaring  an 
act  of  the  Legislature  to  be  in  conflict  with  the  terms  of  the 
Constitution,  and  this  principle  was  laid  do\\ai  in  a  most  able 
opinion  written  by  Judge  Ashe. 

DAVIE  AS  A  LEGISLATOR  AND  STATESMAN. 

After  Davie  had  secured  his  license  to  practice  law,  he 
made  his  home  in  Halifax,  where,  in  1783,  he  married  Sarah 
Jones,  a  daughter  of  General  Allen  Jones,  and  a  niece  of 
Willie  Jones.  Being  connected  mth  the  leading  men  of  the 
State,  it  required  but  a  few  years  of  practice  in  the  courts  to 
render  him  one  of  the  best  knowoi  and  most  highly  respected 
citizens. 

From 'the  year  1786  until  1798,  when  he  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor of  ]S[orth  Carolina,  he  was  almost  continuously  in  the 
legislative  halls  of  the  State  or  engaged  in  the  performance 
of  other  duties  which,  during  the  formative  period  of  our 
State  and  national  governments,  required  the  highest  degree 
of  intelligence,  wisdom  and  character.  As  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  jSTorth  Carolina  his  views  on  public  ques- 
tions shaped  the  statute  law  of  our  State  from  1786  until 
1798,  as  perceptibly  as  the  opinions  of  Chief  Justice  Mar- 
shall shaped  the  policies  and  legal  foundations  of  our  national 
government  while  he  presided  over  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  During  the  time  that  Davie  was  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  he  had  no  superior 
in  that  body,  and  he  was  always  foremost  in  any  legislation 
pertaining  to  the  courts,  the  general  policy  of  the  State  gov- 
ernment, or  its  relations  with  the  national  government;  and 
the  student  of  our  political  history  will  find  the  legislative 
journals  a  most  interesting  study  during  this  period. 


14 


Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  speeches  that  Davie  ever  deliv- 
ered was  that  on  behalf  of  his  bill  for  the  creation  of  the 
University.  If  we  are  to  be  guided  by  the  opinion  and  recol- 
lection of  Judge  Murphey  there  is  no  doubt  that  this  speech 
secured  the  establishment  of  this  institution,  and  it  justly 
earned  for  Davie  the  title  of  "Father  of  the  University." 
And  we  must  remember  that  his  speech  on  that  occasion 
was  not  inspired  by  the  traditions  of  a  century  which  now 
make  that  institution  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all  true  North 
Carolinians,  but  he  was  speaking  from  a  deep  conviction  as 
to  the  needs  of  a  State  which  had  adopted  a  government  nec- 
essarily based  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  governed.  Xor 
did  his  interest  cease  when  the  General  Assembly  had  per- 
formed its  duty.  As  Grand  Master  of  the  Masonic  Order  of 
the  State  he  officiated  at  the  laying  of  the  comer-stone  and 
became  the  leading  spirit  in  framing  the  regulations  for  the 
government  of  the  institution.  Even  the  courses  of  study  were 
worked  out  in  detail  and  jirepared  by  Davie  personally,  with 
a  view  to  fitting  a  student  for  public  service,  and  though,  after 
his  connection  with  the  university  was  severed,  the  authori- 
ties adopted  a  purely  classical  course  which  obtained  for  years, 
yet  when  the  university  was  re-opened  in  1875  Davie's  scheme 
of  studies  was  re-instated  and  its  essential  features  are  main- 
tained to-day.  In  1811  the  University  conferred  upon  Davie 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Law^s,  and  he  was  the  first  person  so 
honored  by  that  institution. 

In  1787,  when  ISTorth  Carolina  was  called  upon  to  send 
delegates  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  at  Philadelphia 
for  the  purpose  of  framing  a  new  constitution,  Davie  was  one 
of  the  delegation  who  was  chosen  to  ser\^e,  his  associates  being 
Richard  Caswell,  Alexander  Martin,  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight, 
William  Blount  and  Hugh  Williamson — a  delegation  of  most 
able  and  eminent  men.  Davie  was  the  youngest  of  these,  and 
while  he  seems  to  have  been  modest  in  his  appearance  before 
the  National  Convention,  -yet  he  impressed  that  body  by  his 
statesmanlike  conduct  and  soon  became  one  of  its  most  highly 
respected  members.     Roger  Sherman  and  Oliver  Ellsworth, 


15 

of  Connecticut,  led  the  fight  in  that  body  to  have  inserted  in 
the  constitution  a  j^rovision  that  the  smaller  States  should 
have  an  equal  number  of  Senators  with  the  larger  States. 
This  provision  seemed  destined  to  divide  the  convention  and 
to  prevent  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  and  it  could  not 
have  been  adopted  with  this  provision  in  it  except  by  some  one 
of  the  larger  States  voting  with  the  smaller  ones.  Davie  was 
skeptical  about  a  constitution  too  representative  in  its  terms, 
and  believed  in  those  "checks  and  balances"  which  have  often, 
since  the  formation  of  our  government,  saved  us  from  disas- 
ter. After  the  most  mature  consideration,  and  with  the  knowl- 
edge that  such  a  course  might  meet  with  the  disapproval  of 
his  people,  he  was  the  first  of  the  iSTorth  Carolina  delegation 
to  announce  upon  the  floor  of  the  convention  that  he  would 
support  this  provision  and  vote  to  give  the  smaller  States  the 
same  representation  in  the  Senate  as  the  larger  ones,  and  the 
other  delegates  from  jSTorth  Carolina  joined  with  him  in  this 
vote ;  hence,  the  vote  of  I^orth  Carolina,  under  the  leadership 
of  Davie,  secured  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  by  the 
Philadelphia  Convention,  which  other^vise  would  have  failed. 
This  act  upon  Davie's  part,  and  his  statesmanlike  views  dis- 
closed during  the  session  of  the  convention,  gave  him  a 
national  reputation  and  endeared  him  to  the  members  from 
the  smaller  States.  Afterwards  he  was  turned  to  in  many  in- 
stances by  the  United  States  Government  to  perform  im- 
portant and  responsible  duties. 

When  the  National  Constitution  came  before  the  people  of 
l^orth  Carolina  for  adoption,  Davie  was  one  of  its  most 
powerful  advocates,  and  though,  for  a  long  time,  he  met  with 
over\\^helming  opposition,  yet  he  and  his  associates  finally  con- 
vinced the  people  of  the  State  of  the  wisdom  of  this  instru- 
ment. 

DAVIE's  mission  to   FRANCE, 

In  1798,  the  relations  between  the  United  States  and 
France  were  so  strained  that  war  seemed  inevitable,  and  much 
concern  was  shown,  not  only  by  the  l^ational  Government,  but 


16 

also  by  all  the  State  governments ;  and  no  pains  were  spared 
to  secure  eflficient  and  competent  men  at  the  head  of  the  public 
affairs.  In  1798,  Davie  was  chosen  Governor  of  North  Caro- 
lina on  account  of  his  military  experience  and  ability,  and  also 
on  account  of  his  extended  information  and  sound  views  in 
connection  with  the  State  and  Federal  governments.  At  that 
time  the  only  hope  of  peace  was  by  a  proposed  treaty,  and  the 
President  appointed  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Patrick  Henry  and 
William  Vans  Murray  as  envoys  to  France  for  this  purpose. 
Patrick  Henry  declined  the  ap]iointment,  and  President 
Adams  and  Timothy  Pickering,  Secretary  of  State,  turned 
towards  Davie  as  the  best  fitted  man  for  this  work.  Oliver 
Ellsworth,  then  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  who  was 
acquainted  with  73avie's  work  in  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion at  Philadel])hia,  visited  him  at  his  home  in  Halifax 
with  the  apparent  purpose  of  ascertaining  his  feelings  with 
reference  to  accepting  this  high  position.  Ellsworth  wrote  to 
Secretary  Pickering  from  Halifax  on  March  26,  1799,  stating 
that  he  thought  Davie  would  accept  if  the  appointment  were 
tendered  to  him,  and  commended  his  dignified  manners,  polit- 
ical information  and  high  character.  On  the  receipt  of  this 
letter  Pickering,  without  hesitation,  recommended  his  ap- 
pointment, and  the  President  approved;  but  both  the  Presi- 
dent and  his  Secretary  of  State  agreed  that,  on  account  of 
Davie's  influence  and  value  as  Governor  of  the  State  of  ]*Torth 
Carolina,  under  existing  circumstances  and  conditions,  it 
would  be  extremely  unwise  to  have  him  resign  as  Governor  at 
once,  and  that  he  should  not  accept  this  appointment  until  the 
last  moment.  Hence,  in  sending  Davie  his  commission,  he 
was  requested  not  to  accept  at  the  time  being,  but  simply  to 
notify  the  Federal  Government  that  he  would  accept  when 
his  services  might  be  required,  and  this  he  did. 

On  May  8,  1799,  President  Adams  wrote,  in  making  this 
appointment:  "The  character  of  this  gentleman  for  ability, 
integrity  and  sound  political  principles  inclines  my  judgment 
in  his  favor,  although  personally  he  is  a  stranger  to  me."  He 
was  thus  appointed  on  June  1,  1799,  and  resigned  as  Gov- 


11 

emor  of  iSTorth  Carolina  on  the  ICch  of  September,  in  the  same 
year.  He  sailed  from  Newport  with  Chief  Justice  Ellsworth 
on  their  mission  to  France  on  November  3d  following.  He 
was  second  in  rank  on  this  commission,  and  the  journals  of 
the  proceedings  in  Paris  do  not  disclose  the  services  that  he 
rendered  as  distinguished  from  those  of  the  other  members  of 
the  commission,  but  there  are  many  things  which  indicate 
that  he  rendered  distingTiished  and  valuable  services  and  was 
received  with  the  greatest  consideration,  not  only  by  Talley- 
rand, who  was  at  that  time  Minister  of  Exterior  Affairs,  but 
also  of  Napoleon  himself.  The  secretary  of  the  commission 
afterwards  stated  that  when  Napoleon  was  addressing  the 
commission  he  appeared  to  forget  that  Davie  was  second  in 
rank  and  directed  his  remarks  almost  entirely  to  him.  He 
was  singled  out  as  the  object  of  special  attention  by  Napoleon, 
who  presented  to  him  certain  ancient  Roman  medals  with 
these  words :  "Accept  and  convey  these  with  you  to  America, 
so  that  monuments  of  the  Roman  Republic  may  become 
pledges  of  amity  and  union  between  the  republics  of  France 
and  the  United  States." 

The  chief  question  with  which  the  commission  had  to  deal 
in  forming  a  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  France 
was  forever  to  put  an  end  to  the  depredations  against  Ameri- 
can vessels  by  the  French,  and  to  see  that  the  "American  flag 
was  to  pass  in  all  directions  unmolested  by  the  French."  In 
this  the  commission  succeeded,  thus  averting  the  impending 
war  and  establishing  peaceful  relations  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. 

A  study  of  the  habit  of  mind,  character  and  ability  of  Davie 
convinces  us  that  this  treaty  was  more  the  work  of  Davie  and 
Talleyrand  than  that  of  any  other  men  connected  with  it. 

DAVIE  AS  A  POLITICIAN. 

As  a  politician  Davie  was  much  of  an  aristocrat  on  public 
questions.  He  did  not  believe  in  the  aristocracy  of  position, 
but  of  intelligence.    He  had  been  a  power  in  the  formation  of 


18 

the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  adoption  of  that 
Constitution  by  the  people  of  iiorth  Carolina,  and  was  as  thor- 
oughly committed  to  the  provisions  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence and  to  the  new  doctrine  that  the  people  should 
govern  themselves,  as  was  the  most  ardent  Democrat ;  but  he 
was  also  convinced  beyond  doubt  that  a  government  by  the 
people  must  be  a  government  based  upon  intelligence.  He 
had  grave  fears  of  the  stability  of  a  government  too  popular 
in  its  provisions,  and  his  convictions  led  him  in  the  direction 
of  the  tenets  of  Hamilton  rather  than  those  of  Jefferson.  He 
naturally  felt  that  popular  clamor  should  not  control  in  public 
questions  as  against  the  weight  of  intelligence.  He  was  not 
a  demagogue  and  was  absolutely  incapable  of  using  popular 
arguments  in  which  he  did  not  believe  for  the  purpose  of 
advancing  his  own  interest.  In  his  last  campaign,  when  he 
had  been  urged  against  his  will  by  the  Federalists  to  become 
a  candidate  for  Congress,  and  when  Jeffersonianism  had  taken 
possession  of  the  political  minds  of  the  State,  he  was  so  scrupu- 
lous about  being  misunderstood  that  he  announced  the  follow- 
ing platform:  "I  desire  that  it  may  be  clearly  understood 
that  I  never  have,  and  that  I  never  will  surrender  my  princi- 
ples to  the  opinion  of  any  man,  or  description  of  men,  either 
in  or  out  of  power;  and  that  I  wish  no  man  to  vote  for  me 
who  is  not  willing  to  leave  me  free  to  pursue  the  good  of  my 
country  according  to  the  best  of  my  judgment,  without  respect 
either  to  party  men  or  party  views."  He  did  not  have  to  con- 
sult his  constituents  in  order  to  form  an  opinion  on  public 
questions.  In  this  campaign  Davie  was  defeated  by  Willis 
Alston,  who,  though  he  had  previously  professed  to  hold  the 
same  political  views  as  Davie,  could  not  resist  the  popular 
tide  of  Jeffersonianism,  upon  which  he  saw  he  could  be  swept 
into  office. 

Thus  ended  Davie's  political  career  in  North  Carolina  at 
the  age  of  much  less  than  fifty.  We  will  search  all  North 
Carolina  history  in  vain-  to  find  the  man  who  has  rendered 
the  State  greater  services  within  so  limited  a  period  of  time ; 


19 

nor  can  we  find  one  to  excel  him  in  patriotism,  ability  and 
that  high  degree  of  character  and  political  integrity  which  he 
so  eminently  displayed.  When,  in  1803,  he  decided  to  leave 
the  State  and  return  to  his  plantation,  Tivoli,  in  South  Caro- 
lina, where  his  uncle  had  directed  his  boyhood,  and  where  he 
was  to  remain  in  retirement  for  nearly  twenty  years  to  advise 
and  counsel  the  greatest  men  of  this  nation,  our  State  sus- 
tained a  loss  which  it  could  have  ill  afforded  but  for  the  fact 
that  Davie  had  helped  to  shape  and  frame  our  State  govern- 
ment and  to  establish  it  so  firmly  that  it  was  beyond  danger. 
He  died  on  the  18th  of  N^ovember,  1820,  and  left  numerous 
descendants.  In  1836,  some  years  after  his  death,  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Xorth  Carolina  gave  Davie  County  its  name 
in  honor  of  his  memory. 

And  now  this  portrait  of  this  great  man — painted  by  Mr. 
Jacques  Busbee,  an  artist  whose  promise  in  his  profession 
leads  him  in  the  direction  of  that  eminence  which  the  subject 
of  bis  sketch  attained  in  statesmanship — is  presented  to  the 
State  by  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  to  the  end  that,  as  it 
adorns  these  walls,  it  may  stimulate  the  ambition  of  future 
generations  and  inspire  them  to  better  things. 


ACCEPTANCE  BY  ATTORNEY-GENERAL 
BICKETT. 

Mr.  Vice-Presideul ,  Ladies  and  (rentlemen: 

While  Mr.  Carr  was  reading  his  admirable  address  it 
occurred  to  me  that  Priscilla  was  not  only  a  very  charming' 
maiden,  but  also  something  of  a  philosopher  when  she  put  to 
Alden  the  question:  "Whv  don't  you  speak  for  )'ourself, 
John  ?"  It  must  be  a  source  of  pride  to  us  all  that  the  time 
has  come  when  a  North  Carolina  pen  and  a  Xorth  Carolina 
brush  can  preserve  for  all  time  the  story  and  the  features  of 
one  of  the  great  soldiers  and  statesmen  of  Revolutionary 
times. 

North  Carolina  is  happy,  in  that  in  every  crisis  of  the 
Nation's  life  her  sous  have  risen  to  the  necessities  of  the  hour. 
Among  the  very  foremost  in  her  long  roll  of  honor  stands  the 
name  of  William  R,  Davie — 

"Great  in  the  council,  glorious  in  the  field." 

His  life  and  character  constitute  a  distinct  asset  of  the 
State,  and  must  be  forever  associated  with  the  epoch-making 
chapters  of  the  Nation's  history. 

The  address  of  Mr,  Carr  is  a  permanent  contribution  to 
the  historical  literature  of  the  State,  and  will  keep  before  our 
eyes  a  man  whom  we  cannot  aiford  to  forget. 

In  presenting  the  portrait  of  General  Davie  to  the  State  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution  render  to  us  and  to  posterity  a  very 
real  service.     ''And  their  works  do  follow  them." 

In  proper  time  this  portrait  will  be  placed  on  the  walls  of 
the  Governor's  Office  or  in  the  Executive  Mansion. 


COMMERCIAL     PRINTING     COMPANY,     RALEIGH.     N. 


